Chapter 40: I’m Really Not A Paladin
The experience given by the two Amn people was a bit low, but it was just finishing blows to steal kills anyway, so he couldn’t expect too much.
‘Why didn’t I level up?’
He couldn’t be distracted during combat, so Anse didn’t tally how much experience he gained, but he remembered he wasn’t far from leveling up.
He sank his mind into his thoughts, the Silver Twenty-Sided Die gently rotating, with its third symbol fully lit.
‘Sure enough, I can’t play too safe.’ His spirits lifted greatly.
He casually opened his Character Card; experience reached 2596/2700, just over a hundred experience short of leveling up.
‘Uh, this… stuck in the middle.’
He calmed his mood; now wasn’t the time to think about these things.
Without delaying time, he rode around the lake, wrapping all the loot he could see in burlap, then returned to the camp, packed up the three tents, and haphazardly threw them onto the horse’s back.
Then, he mounted Nolnos and galloped west.
He didn’t go into the water to search for possible loot; who knew what was in the lake.
Ten minutes later, several lights appeared ahead, with dozens of dejected Shadow Figures gathered together, occasional sobs coming from them.
Anse scanned around; not everyone was there, perhaps a few had gotten separated.
Brat and the others heard the horse hooves and hurried over to greet him.
“Not injured, right?” Brat saw the things on the horse’s back and knew a battle must have happened earlier.
“I’m fine.” Anse dismounted, unloading a pile of things.
Emon saw the tents and perked up: “All the Undead gone?”
“As far as it looks now, they’re all gone; no living people visible Lakeside.” Anse spoke with double meaning.
“Please help keep Vigilance for a bit; we’ll go pack up our things.” Emon requested.
Without those tents and Supplies, these dozens of people probably wouldn’t last long.
“No problem, be quick; we need to leave as soon as possible.” Anse urged.
“I understand.”
Emon immediately gathered the able-bodied young men and headed back along the original path; Brat also went along to help.
Luckily the Distance wasn’t far, so it wouldn’t take too long.
Anse didn’t go; he’d already done enough warning and rear guard.
If not for his connection to Brat, he might not have helped at all.
Of course, it also mixed in some selfishness and greed; he was a normal person, and being greedy and fearful was quite ordinary.
Human nature is complex and contradictory.
He found a quiet spot, leaned against Nolnos’s leg, and sank his mind into his thoughts.
The Silver Twenty-Sided Die gently rotated, with its third symbol fully lit.
‘What will it be this time?’ He was filled with anticipation.
He lightly tapped the die, and memory fragments surfaced in his mind one by one: Combat, saving people, mount, encountering enemies…
Moments later, the symbol turned into a complex spherical mark.
Ding—
【You gain Adventure Trait: Arcana Resonance.】
「Arcana Resonance」: Magic brings new life even as it creates destruction; there are always some creatures that gain magic’s favor.
Choose one from Abjuration, Divination, School of Evocation, Illusion, Conjuration, Enchantment, Necromancy, Transmutation; gain one additional spell of that type per Class Level, Spell Level not exceeding the maximum you can currently control.
‘One extra spell per level?!’ Anse’s eyes widened instantly.
Though limited by spell type, it was still extremely powerful, greatly compensating for the Sorcerer class’s shortage of spells.
Spells are the core of a Spellcaster; more spells mean more ways to deal with difficulties or dangers.
‘Which one to choose?’
The eight spell schools each have their strengths, but the one that fit him best seemed to be the School of Evocation.
Evocation Spells are the most numerous, and Dragon Race bloodline comes with Elemental Affinity, greatly enhancing Evocation Spell power.
This way, each time he leveled up, he could master two spells: one School of Evocation for main destruction to harvest experience, and one other school to fill in Teleport, control, survival, etc., making his options much richer.
After confirming with his mind, the spherical mark burst open, turning into a solid-like energy ball with various Elements surging endlessly inside.
【Arcana Resonance: School of Evocation, you gain Evocation Spell specialization】
‘Spell specialization.’ His heart skipped; he carefully savored the term.
It should be some kind of passive ability, perhaps making Evocation Spells more handy to use; the exact effect would have to wait for later exploration.
‘Which spell to choose?’
He lightly tapped the elemental energy ball, and dozens of elemental sprites leaped out, colorful and dancing around his mind.
Each sprite was a spell, including all First Ring and Second Ring Evocation Spells.
He was now Level 3 and could select 3 spells.
There were about a dozen Second Ring Evocation Spells, not a huge selection; after thinking for a moment, he chose「Scorching Ray」.
Scorching Ray requires no Spellcasting Materials, base range 120 feet（≥36 meters）, over 72 meters with Attribute and Feat bonuses.
It fires three Fire Rays at one or multiple targets, each Ray dealing 2d6（2-12） Fire Damage, three for 6-36, quite violent.
Most crucially, Ray spells have ridiculously fast projectiles; as long as aimed well, enemies can’t easily dodge.
Faerun has Wizards specialized in Ray spells, niche but very tricky.
After selecting it, most surrounding elemental sprites dispersed, leaving only First Ring spells.
‘Looks like I can’t cheat.’ He’d been hoping to pick three Second Ring spells.
After thinking, he chose「Faerie Fire」 and「Holy Slash」.
The former is a Bard and Druid spell, the latter a Paladin signature skill.
Most School of Evocation spells are damage-dealing; Faerie Fire is one of the rare functional ones.
It casts a 20-foot（≥6 meters） Mana Spiritual Light, outlining every object in the Area with colorful glow, lasting one minute; affected objects and creatures emit dim light in a 10-foot radius.
This is an anti-stealth spell that adds a Magic Mark, very practical.
Holy Slash goes without saying, renowned.
It is Quick Cast, attaches to Melee Weapon or body; attacks add 2d8（2-16） Radiant Damage, +1d8（1-8） if target is Fiendish Creature or Undead Creature.
He “stole” this not out of bad taste or to impersonate a Paladin, but to compensate for his melee weakness.
With Polymorph, if Claws add Holy Slash, ordinary Assassins couldn’t withstand a few hits.
That image was pretty amusing to think about.
Anyway, his First Ring attack spells were sufficient; trying it out wouldn’t hurt.
As he confirmed with his mind, Mana surged around him, his eyes glowing with various lights.
Segments of knowledge and memory about Evocation Spells surged in his mind, enlightenment like a spring; he couldn’t fully grasp their principles and Arcana, but could use them proficiently.
A long while later, he raised his right hand, platinum holy Mana emerging from his palm; color-wise, different from Land’s Holy Slash.
This was normal; Paladins of different Oaths or Faiths give Holy Slash unique colors.
‘I’ve gotten stronger again; should I find time to learn swordsmanship from Brat?’
Many Feats and Skills can be mastered through training and study; Sorcerers have plenty of time, but best taught by professionals—self-study easily goes wrong, harder to correct.
Supplement:
1. Paladin Level 2 learns Divine Smite, can cast Holy Slash once without Spell Slot.
2. Projectile explanation:
DND Rules downplay projectile existence, but those who’ve played League of Legends or similar know spell projectiles are vital parameters.
Faster projectile speed makes it harder to dodge（increases Attack Roll）.
3. No cheating here, this is a MOD!
